


Hellooooooo Alpha!

by nealinor



Series: ABO Bingo Round 1 [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel/Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Croatoan/Endverse, Destiel - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, Pack Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:22:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nealinor/pseuds/nealinor
Summary: Castiel Novak and his daughter Claire have wandered, struggling to survive, since the Croatoans destroyed their pack. When they are discovered and taken in by a new pack, Castiel worries that he will never fit in as he's never been good with people, despite being a doctor by trade. When it turns out this pack is awash in unmated Omegas, the alpha soon finds himself very popular. Will he be able to integrate with the pack without being mated to an omega he doesn't truly know? And more importantly, will the omega he wants, a certain green eyed hunter, take notice of his plight and help him out?





	Hellooooooo Alpha!

**Author's Note:**

> This fills the square "Pack Life" on our bingo card. 
> 
> If you've seen the Animaniacs, you should be thinking "Hello Nurse!" when you read the title.

Castiel hadn’t known there was a camp there until he was being surrounded by a large number of people with guns. He grabbed Claire and pulled her to a stop next to him. Scenting the air, he could tell that they were weres, like them. He smelled no hints of the Croatoan sickness among them. The party was a mixture of betas and omegas. There was no alpha among them. Even as they both raised their hands and froze before they even spoke, he wondered where the alphas were; it was odd that there weren’t any. Who was caring for them? He knew that was not the proper way to think, but times were hard and fraught with dangers; he couldn’t help it.

The group shifted and a man emerged in front of him. He was taller than Castiel and broader too; however, something sweet clung to his scent. The man was an omega who was clearly the leader of this group, which was atypical but in this day and age, not unheard of. Beyond that, he was magnificent. Castiel tried to push the thought away.

The man spoke, his body held tense and ready for any wrong move. “Where are you going, Alpha..s?” His eyes moved from Castiel to Claire and back again. There was no malice in his voice, just wary curiosity.

Castiel found himself gazing into green eyes. He tossed a glance to his daughter who shrugged and lowered her hands. Castiel followed suit. “I don’t know. We were just looking for somewhere safe.”

The omega nodded, though he didn’t relax. The rest of the party shifted uncomfortably before the omega spoke again. “We were going to scavenge in the town up that way. Did you come from there?”

“Yes. It’s swarming with Croats.” Castiel had barely escaped with his skin intact, but he’d gotten away with a little bit of food and a bottle of water for Claire before he’d run.

“Think we’ll find anything good?” The omega looked beyond Castiel, but his eyes came back to him.

Castiel shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s… it’s just us so we couldn’t go very far in. We don’t have a weapon.”

A young Asian man, another omega, spoke up. “Where’s your pack?”

Castiel stared down at his beaten and beleaguered boots. “Gone.”  He didn’t want to talk about it and hoped they didn’t press. It was a great strike of shame for an alpha to have lost his pack, though in his defense, he not been the head alpha by a long shot. That had been Michael and the position hadn’t done him any good. He was dead the same as most of the others. The rest had scattered when they fled; he’d not been able to find any of them. The only person he’d been able to stick with was Claire, but then, he’d die before he’d let something happen to his only child.

There was a chorus of sad nods from the group in front of him. A blonde tugged the sleeve of the omega in charge and whispered in his ear. It was hard to tell her designation, but he suspected beta. Another tall, dark haired beta joined them. There was a short debate before he found those green eyes on him again.

“What’s your name, Alpha?” He asked, his eyes considering but cool. He clearly hadn’t made his mind up about them yet.

“I’m Castiel, this is my daughter Claire.” Castiel knew what they looked like. Both of them were unwashed and filthy, their clothes were ragged and their shoes worn, they were skinny from long days without food. Desperation rose in his chest. “Look, I have some food and some medicine in my bag. It’s not much but I’ll give it all to you if you just take my daughter with you. Please.”

“Dad! No!” Claire clutched his arm.

“It’s okay, Claire. I want you to be safe.” He soothed the young alpha, though he could tell by the anxiety and fear lacing her scent that he wasn’t doing a good job.

“Yeah, well screw that! I’m not leaving you.” Claire whipped her head around and scowled at the group. “My dad was a doctor. You want to take him.”

“A doctor?” The tall omega began to contemplate while the others whispered around him. He shushed them by waving them off with his hand. “If that’s true why haven’t you found a new pack already?”

“You are the first we’ve found.” Castiel begins to move slowly, shifting the fraying backpack from his shoulder and tossing it to the ground. He nudges it towards the group with his foot and then takes several steps back so they could come see what’s inside. “Go ahead. You can have what’s in there.” He wasn’t holding out hope that they would take them both, despite his being a doctor, but he wasn’t giving up on finding a place for Claire.

The group was still whispering to themselves when the omega stepped out from the group and picked up the bag, then came close enough to Castiel to hand it back to him. “I’ve seen too much loss to split up a family and we need a doctor. I can’t make you any promises, because the final call is up to Bobby, but we will take you into camp.” In that moment when the omega was close to him, Castiel found himself staring straight into the greenest eyes he had ever seen. There was kindness there, even if the man hadn’t made up his mind about the two of them.

“Thank you.” Castiel took the bag and tucked it back onto his shoulder.

The green eyed omega offered his hand. “I’m Dean.”

Castiel took his hand and shook it. He tried to pretend that he didn’t feel the tiniest thread of attraction when they touched. “Hello Dean. It’s nice to meet you.”

Dean nodded and turned to the rest of his group with a sigh. “Let’s move out. It sounds like we’ll need a bigger force to scavenge the town.”  The others nodded and moved out, heading back the way they came, though they waited for Castiel and Claire to join them, then closed ranks around them.

The Asian omega fell in next to Claire. “I’m Kevin.”

“Claire.” She replied, eyeing the newcomer with a tight smile.

“I’ve never met a female alpha before.” He continued seeming somewhat shy, but not enough to stop him from commenting.

“Yeah, I take after my dad.” She shot back, this time with a smile that was more genuine to soften her words.

“That’s cool.” Kevin said, nodding his dark head. “We don’t have a lot of alphas in camp.”

Claire snorted. “Probably because they do stupid ass, self-sacrificing things that get them killed.” She shot a dark look to her father.

“Claire, that’s enough.” Castiel growled at her, his voice low with just enough warning to tell her that dropping it would be wise. Castiel could have sworn that the lead omega, Dean, shivered with those words then whipped around to look at him. There was wariness in his eyes.  Castiel blushed and looked away, because he hadn’t truly meant to use his alpha voice.

His daughter acquiesced by dropping her head. Kevin didn’t say anything else, but didn’t leave Claire’s side either.

By the time they made it back to the camp, Castiel had learned that the lanky, dark haired beta was Garth and the blonde beta was Jo. The others in the group were Ed, Harry, and Eileen. Jo seemed to be the daughter of one of the pack leaders, and she spent the rest of their journey shooting him distrustful looks. Eileen, another omega, seemed had fallen into step next to Dean and the two conversed using sign language. The others seemed to accept them easily enough. Garth and Kevin were the friendliest. Garth had questioned him extensively about his career as a doctor and he’d answered as honestly as possible. So, the group knew that he had been a physician in a Family Practice Clinic before the Croatoan outbreak, that his mate had died when Claire was a baby, and that Claire was his only child. The walk didn’t take a tremendously long time and soon they emerged from the woods in front of Camp Chitaqua.

The camp is generally unimpressive in appearance; however, to Castiel it is practically heaven. There was a fence and people, living breathing people who were as safe as one could get in the madness of the world around them. Dean led them straight through, but once inside, he stopped and sent the rest of the group off to other tasks before he turned to Castiel and Claire.

“Look, because you are new here, you’ll need to be checked for injuries and the like. You don’t smell sick but…” Dean shrugged.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Castiel nodded, understanding. “I want to stay nearby Claire while she’s checked.”

“No problem, Man.” Dean patted his shoulder, smiling kindly. “Here comes Jody, she’s a female alpha, so no funny business. After you’ve been checked, you’ll be quarantined for a few days to be certain you are safe.”

Castiel nodded, accepting this as he turned to greet Jody. He liked the look of her immediately. She was tall and definitely alpha, but there was kindness around her eyes and a worn look that said she’d lost much but was still warm despite this. She offered her hand for Castiel to shake as Dean performed introduction.

“A doctor, huh?” Jody said, her eyebrows rose when Dean told her. “We’re lucky to have found you. Now, I’m just going to check Claire over and help her get cleaned up. We will be right there.” She points to a small bathroom that is clearly a bathhouse. “All the alphas share, so you’ll have to wait your turn.” Her expression is apologetic as they walk to the building.

“I’ll be right here.” Castiel tells Claire as he stops near the door.

Claire rolls her eyes. “I’ll be fine, Dad.”

Castiel nods and watches as the two alphas disappear, leaving him alone with Dean. A thought occurs to him. “Jody isn’t going to do me next, is she?” He can’t help the rising modesty he feels, it’s been ages since anyone has seen him naked and he’s not exactly comfortable baring all to a female alpha.

Dean laughs and despite himself, claps a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Nah, I figured Garth would be okay.  The only other Alpha in camp is Benny and he’s out on a scavenging mission right now.”

“That would be acceptable.” Castiel sighs and leans back, listening to the sound of water as it turns on. He supposes that Dean is staying with him as a guard until Garth catches back up. He’s not complaining because now that they are alone, he can smell Dean a little more clearly. Once Castiel has sifted through the scents of dirt, sweat, and smoke (which coat everyone here), he can pick out the sweetness in Dean’s scent, which coalesces into a fragrance reminiscent of pecan pie. Suddenly Castiel is focusing hard on the sound of water from behind him so his mouth doesn’t start watering. “Dean… why are there so few alphas here?”

Dean shrugs. “It’s like your daughter said. They kept getting themselves killed until only Bobby, Jody, Sam, and Benny were left.” Dean leaned against the building next to him his gaze still on Castiel. “How long have you guys been wandering?”

“I’m not sure. It’s been a couple of months at least, but it’s hard to tell time when you are alone.” Cas looks down at his broken watch, which he hasn’t taken off because it was a gift from his brother.

“I’ll bet.” Dean said. It was then that Garth walked up.

“Hey there, Dean, Castiel.”  The friendly man hugs Dean (which makes the Omega go stiff) and pats Castiel on the back.

Once he’s released, Dean reaches over and squeezes Castiel’s upper arm and gives him smile. “I’ll see you in a few days, Cas.”

“Thank you, Dean.” Castiel can’t quite stop his eyes from following the Omega as he walks away and disappears into one of the buildings.

When he turns around, he finds Garth’s eyes on him with a knowing smile. “Dean, huh?”

***

The moment Dean enters into the main hall, he finds Sam waiting on him.

“Is it true? Eileen said you found a doctor!” The moose sized alpha is on him in an instant.

“Yeah, Sammy, it’s true. The new alpha is a doctor and has a daughter that’s also an alpha.” Dean winces at the last, he probably should have told his younger brother about the new man being an alpha because…

“That’s not all Eileen said.” Sam goes on, a sly look sliding over his face. “She said that you insisted on seeing him into the camp and making sure someone nice helped him get cleaned up.”

“So, I tried to make the guy feel welcome. Big deal.” Dean brushes it off as he pushes past Sam towards the room where Ellen and Bobby will be.

Sam catches his elbow and holds him back. “Dean, you know it’s okay if you are interested, right?”

Dean sighs. Sam has been like this since he mated Eileen; worried about his big brother settling down. As if they have time to worry about something like that. Still, Sam’s not wrong either. There’s something about the scent of smokey leaves and honey clinging to the alpha that calls to him. “I know, Sam. The guy had been through hell. You can tell by looking at him. I just want to make it a little easier for him.” He gently removes his elbow from Sam’s grasp.

“It doesn’t hurt that he’s good looking either.” Eileen says from behind him, a wry smile on her lips. She walks to Sam’s side and wraps her arms around his waist. “Bobby and Ellen have been updated and will be ready to meet them when they are ready to come out of quarantine. I talked to them already.”

“Thanks, Eileen.” Dean smiles and prepares himself to go play 20 questions with the two leaders

***

Much to Castiel’s chagrin, Garth talks through the entire process of checking him over for injuries and then the shower too. When they came out, Claire and Jody were waiting with wide grins. It was his turn to roll his eyes.  Jody and Garth led them to a small house on the edge of the camp. It clearly had a sturdy door that locked from the outside.

Jody opened it up with an apologetic smile. “I know this is harsh, but we have a lot of people to look out for.”

“I understand.” Castiel answered though he would be lying if he wasn’t a little afraid. They were about to be locked up and made helpless with little route for escape. Worse, he was exposing his daughter to this as well. He could only offer trust and hope that they would be treated fairly.

Garth turned on the lights in the front room of the house. “We will bring you guys meals from our kitchen and what not. I think you’ll find that it’s comfortable in there.”

“A nice prison.” Clair said dryly.

“Claire!” Castiel turned a glare on his daughter, who mumbled an apology as she scurried into the house. “I apologize for her. We have both been on edge for a long time.”

“No apology necessary.” Jody’s eyes were warm as she stepped aside to let him enter. “I’ve got a teenager myself. I don’t envy you at all.”

Castiel snorted. “Claire may be sarcastic but she’s mine.”

“See you in a few days!” Garth winked as he closed them in the house. The sound of the bolt being thrown on the door was loud in his ears.

***

Three days was a long time to be stuck in a house with a bored teenager. Jody had been right about that. When the female alpha came to let them out, he was more than ready to take whatever the camp threw at them. The alpha seemed to notice that and chuckled to herself. They shared a look between them, silently commiserating the trials of parenting teenagers.

Jody wasn’t alone either. Today she came with another alpha, this one a large male who was close to his age. The man offered him his hand. “Benny.” He spoke with a southern drawl and smelled mated.

Castiel took his hand. “I’m Castiel. Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise, Brother.” The big alpha fell in step next to him. “You passed the feral test. I think that’s the hardest part.”

“That’s good to know.” Castiel answered before he cast his eyes back to Claire, unable to kill the worry when she wasn’t in his sight. They’d been out in the wilds too long for him to relax easily.

Together, the four of them went into the building that Dean had gone into a few days ago and ended up in what had once been a church meeting room, which was now set up with a table at the front and rows of chairs lines up facing the tables. There were several people in the room, many of which he’d never seen before though he supposed that made sense. These people would want to weigh in on accepting newcomers into their home.

At the front of the room sits a bearded old alpha wearing a trucker’s cap and a blonde beta with stern eyes. He nodded to both of them. It was then that he noticed Dean off to the side, standing with a very tall alpha and Eileen.

The omega moved to stand with him and Claire. “This is Bobby…” Dean gestured to the alpha. “ …and Ellen.” He turned to the two at the front. “This is Cas and Claire. We found them in the forest. Cas here says he’s a doctor.”

The old alpha turned his eyes on Castiel. “Is that true, boy?”

“Yes sir.” Castiel said seriously, begging for the people to believe him. He needed this for his daughter. “I used to have an office in Pontiac, Illinois.”

“You’ve come a long way from Pontiac.” Ellen pointed out.

“We have.” Castiel allowed. “My older brother thought we’d have better chances if we kept moving. We drove until there was no more gas to be had.”

Bobby snorted. “Let me guess, he was the head alpha.”

“Yes, sir.” Castiel answered respectfully.

“Don’t call me sir.” Bobby groused.

“Dean said you had medicines in your bag.” Ellen took over.

“I do.” Castiel motioned his back pack towards the table. When Ellen nodded her permission, he set the bag down and opened it. A few bags of hastily packed packets of beef jerky fell out, and then Castiel began to unload his store of bandages and what medications he grabbed up. He had a little of everything, gauging what he’d need based on what he knew from his practice as a physician. He explained this all to Bobby and Ellen.

When he’d finished, Bobby leaned back with his arms crossed. “I can’t lie to you, it would be fair useful to have a doctor around. Still, I have to leave it to a vote.”

Castiel nodded and when he turned, he found the hall was now twice as full as it had been. Most of the camp must be there now.

Ellen stood up and addressed them. “Alright. We will take it to a vote. All those in favor of letting Castiel and his daughter stay raise your hands.” The vast majority raised their hands. “All opposed?” No hands were raised.

“Then they stay.” Bobby said, standing up next to Ellen. “Now, you idjits get out of here. There are things to do before dinner time.”

With that, the people stood and began to filter out. Dean came to Castiel’s side and took his arm, caught Claire too so he could guide them out another way.

Once outside, the omega turned to them. “Come on, I’ll show you where to get settled in.” The camp around them settled into a bustle of life as they walked with Dean. The omega pointed out buildings that would be important to find again.  Finally, they came to a row of small houses, where Dean led them to the last one. “This one is empty. It’s not much but it’s in pretty good repair.  I’m right next door to you, so if you need anything just shout.”

Castiel felt like his head was spinning. Claire gave him an odd look, the shook her head and headed up the porch steps and inside. The alpha found himself looking over to the green eyed omega. “I’m at a loss of how I’m ever to fit in here.”

Dean smiled and patted his shoulder a little awkwardly. “You will, Cas. You’ll find that everyone in the pack is okay and.. well… I’ll be here to help you.” Offering the help seemed to surprise Dean just as much as it did Castiel

Feeling a little better, Cas thanked the omega and headed inside to try to adjust himself to having just joined a pack.

***

The next three days were insanely busy and Cas barely saw Dean at all and when he did, it was only at a distance. The first day, he and Claire had taken stock of what was in the house they’d been given so they could make a list of what they’d need. Castiel was surprised to find that the house was pretty well stocked with house goods and most of what they needed were personal items and clothing. Jody had come by to take them both to find clothing that fit. They had a sizable stock pile of goods of all sorts gathered from their scavenging raids.

The next day, Castiel was met at breakfast (which was taken in a large hall and shared with the entire community) by Bobby. The old alpha took him around the unused buildings in the tiny camp to find one that would work for setting up a doctor’s office. He found out that Camp Chitaqua had taken over an abandoned town that had been in decent repair and small enough that they could defend it. In the end, he took over a one story house near the church that was considered the center of the camp and spent the next day and a half setting up the office and meeting townspeople. Despite being a newcomer, once people knew that he was a doctor, they came out of the word work to see him.

The fourth day out of quarantine, he looked up from organizing his medical equipment (which seemed to multiply every time someone came by because apparently the entire camp had been hording them) when a shadow darkens his door. He knows without looking up that it’s Dean, the scent of pecan pie teasing his nose. “Hello, Dean.” He speaks as he closes one of the cabinets, tucking away the myriad of bandages and gauze he’d been given by Benny and his mate that morning.

“Hey Cas. How are you settling in?” The omega pushed out of the doorway and came into the office, peering curiously into the open cabinets. “Heh… you’ve got a lot of things. Bobby told the camp that they’d better give up what they got if they wanted you to be able to care for them properly.

“It’s been overwhelming.” Castiel said with a chuckle then gestured toward the couch in the room, offering Dean a seat.

The omega remained on his feet, prowling around the small space as if he’s nervous. “How’s Claire settling in?”

“Good. She likes Charlie and seems to be getting along well with Alex.” Charlie was the genius little omega that ran the school for the Camp and Alex was Jody’s beta daughter.

“And Kevin?” Dean asked wryly.

“Yeah…she likes Kevin.” Castiel winced. “We’ve had a chat about that.” The last thing he needed is for his daughter to knot the young omega. Not only would it likely make Kevin’s mother, Linda, angry, but honestly, he didn’t want to be a grandparent so soon.

“Aww… come on Cas, that’s just about all there is to do for fun around here.” Dean winked saucily at him.

Castiel doesn’t quite hide the shocked chuckle he gave because he’s torn; he doesn’t want to think of this in connection with his daughter however, he does want to know if Dean is flirting with him. In the end, he ends up squinting in confusion at the omega with his head tilted slightly to the right.

Dean threw his head back and laughed uproariously. When the omega finally stops, he’s wiping away tears from his eyes. “You looked…. You looked so lost. I’m sorry, man.” Dean took a deep breath and grabbed his shoulder to hold himself up as he gave himself over to chuckling once more. “I didn’t… I’m not…” He sighed deeply. “Thanks, Cas. I’ve needed that.”

“You’re welcome.” Cas said slowly, unsure what he did but he’s glad that he could make Dean laugh. The sound of it had been warm and rich. He knew that he shouldn’t be so pleased that he’d amused Dean, but he was.

The room fell to silence which was slightly awkward. Dean shuffled from foot to foot as if trying to decide what to say. “So, have you had much chance to look around?”

Cas shook his head. “I have been to my house, the meal hall, and here. That’s about all.”

“Well, come on. I’ll show you around.” Dean put his hand on Cas’s wrist and began to tug him towards the door.

Castiel followed him, trying not to think about the warmth radiating out from under Dean’s hand. He knew that Dean was just being friendly and he should be grateful. He tried to squash any hope that Dean wanted more from him.

Dean drug him out into the street and started walking his way towards the edge of town, pointing out buildings along the way. “This is the laundry. You have to do it yourself, but the facility is there for everyone to use. Have you… done laundry without a washing machine.”

Castiel felt his cheeks heat again. “I haven’t.”

“It’s easy. I’ll show you.” Dean promised before dragging him onwards. They made stops at the gardens, and the bathhouses for the other designations, with Dean pointing out who lives where along the way. They were stopped by Linda Tran, who gave him an earful about making sure Kevin and Claire are never alone together. He nodded and promised that he will do so and is eternally grateful when Dean extracted him from the conversation so they can move on.

“You are my hero.” He told the omega as soon as they were out of earshot of Linda. “I owe you one.”

Dean grinned widely. “I’ll keep that in mind, Cas. I will collect on that.”

Once again, Castiel found himself blushing. Apparently all he can do around Dean is be embarrassed and hopeful. For the life of him, he can’t tell if the omega is flirting with him or just teasing him. Before he could think of it any more, Dean pulled him off to explore the other side of the camp.

Cas noticed for the first time how many more people there are in the camp. He met Garth’s mate, Bess, who was very pregnant and agreed to come see him the next day. He met Jody’s mate, Donna, a beta who cheerfully welcomed him to the camp. He met a widowed omega named Lisa who had a young son Ben and seemed to be close to Dean. He discovered that Charlie is mated to Jo and that they even have a recluse named Frank that is highly strange but tolerated because he seems to know a shit ton about just about everything. It amazed him how many of them were omegas simply because he had never seen so many in one place. Most of the people approached him with a wary sort of friendliness. They are curious about him, but in the end, he’s a strange alpha and they don’t trust him. By the end of the afternoon, he is exhausted and feeling hopeless once again about integrating.

Dean walks with him back to the office, which he closed and locked up. He’s a little surprised to find Dean still waiting for him, but then he remembered that Dean lives next door to him. “What’s up, Cas?” Of course the omega noticed his change in mood.

“I… it’s nothing Dean.” Castiel fell into step next to the man, finding that after the day with him, he’s a lot more comfortable around him; however, he also finds that he likes the omega even more.

“Come on, Cas. You can tell me.” Dean paused to catch his eyes. “We’re friends, right?”

Castiel couldn’t argue with that, he wanted to be Dean’s friend if that’s all he could be. “I .. am not very good with people, at least personal. People think that I’m awkward and strange. I want to fit in but it’s hard to know how.”

Dean patted him on the shoulder as they started to walk again. “You are overthinking this, Cas. People are going to accept you because you are the doctor. You automatically have a place made for you in the pack.”

“Having a spot and being accepted are different things.” Castiel sighed. “I don’t want my poor people skills to reflect on Claire.”

“I’ve not noticed anything. I mean, you are awkward and a little weird, but in a good way.” Dean said as they turned down the small street that they both live on. “I like you just fine.” The omega seems startled by the words as soon as they are out of his mouth.

Castiel couldn’t stop his smile. He was glad Dean liked him. “Thank you, Dean.”

Dean ran his fingers through his hair, seeming self-conscious. “No problem, Cas. Now, go get Claire so we can eat dinner.”

Cas nodded and scurried up to the house, once again blushing because Dean was going to go to dinner with him and Claire.

***

Becky burst into the Omega’s shower room with a glimmer in her eyes that hasn’t been there since Sam mated Eileen. She scurried across the room towards a couple of other omegas who were in various stages of drying off and dressing.

“OH MY GOD! Did you see the new alpha?” Her voice bounced off of the walls in the room.

“Tall, dark and dreamy?” An omega named Meg drawled as she wrapped her dark hair in a towel. “I certainly did. He looks good enough to eat.”

Becky scowled as another omega piped up, this one a young male with curly hair named Samandriel. “I saw him too. He’s really good looking, isn’t he? He spoke to me. His voice is low and rough. It gave me the shivers.”

“Well, I am going to take him something special to welcome him to the camp later tonight.” Becky asserted, sticking her chin out as she began to strip out of her clothes.

“Oh is that so?” Meg slurred as she tugged up a pair of black lace panties. “Well, I may swing around there to see how he’s settling in myself.”

The two women glare at each other, completely ignoring Samandriel who gathered his things and slipped out of the bathroom first. He paused on the steps of the bath house to stuff his clothes in his bag and then set off across the camp, his feet aimed straight towards Castiel’s house.

He failed to notice Dean Winchester, who was scowling at his back as he walked away.

***

After that, seeing Dean was a daily occurrence, and it did get easier to be around the others. In fact, after Dean showed him around there was an outpouring of welcome from a certain section of the population in particular. At first, Castiel thought that the ice had simply been broken and people were glad to have a doctor. However, after two evenings of visitor after visitor at his door, Cas had to admit that it wasn’t simply welcome. He closed his door after giving his polite goodbyes to a blonde omega named Becky (for the second time that evening) and closed his eyes. He wiped a worn hand over his face before he walked into the lit kitchen where Claire was doing her homework.

“’Sup, Dad?” She said as put down her pencil and turned a wry grin on him.

“I don’t understand, Claire.”

“The omegas?” Claire snorted as she stood and went to the cupboard to get down two glasses. “What’s to understand? You are an alpha and they are all unmated.”

Castiel snorted in frustration. “But they don’t know me! I mean… mating is serious. It’s not something that one just does. If they knew what I was really like they wouldn’t want me. Because I’m … “

“Stubborn and really weird?” Claire shot in, beaming at her father as she handed him a glass of water.

Castiel took the glass while glaring at his daughter though finally agreeing with a muttered, “yes.”

“Hey, you could take advantage of the situation, you know. They are practically begging for your knot.” Claire patted Castiel’s cheek while beaming at her father.

“Claire!” Castiel’s cheeks began to flame red and he hunched his shoulders. “I’m not entirely comfortable discussing my knot with you.”

“If I can’t talk about knots with my alpha parent, who can I discuss them with.” Claire gave a wry chuckle. “Look at the bright side; they could all be after my knot.”

“That’s it young lady! Go to your room.” Castiel made a good show of being angry, though it was honestly a little hard to do while also trying to shrink into the kitchen cabinets to hide from the conversation.

Claire stomped from the kitchen and passed the front door just as a knock sounded. She paused.

“Just ignore it.” Castiel groused, still glaring at his daughter.

“What if it’s Dean?” Claire teased as she whipped around to head up the stairs.

“Is it Dean?” Cas’s head whipped around to stare at the door, which does an excellent job of hiding who is behind it.

“I don’t know. I’m going to bed.” With a huff, Claire finished stomping up the stairs. A door slammed upstairs, shaking the walls.

With a sigh, Castiel went to the door. Now that Claire planted the idea, he can’t ignore it just in case it is Dean. He pulled the door open.

Meg was standing on the other side in a low cut black dress that hugged her skin as if painted on. She gave him a wide, come hither smile. “Good evening, Clarence.”

Castiel sighed. He didn’t know why she called him Clarence nor what God he angered to be drowning in more omegas then he needed. It’s just his luck that the one omega he wants is the one that hasn’t been at his door. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much time to think of that thought, it take all his focus to keep Meg outside of his home and off his knot.

***

Dean had been ignoring the number of omegas that came to Castiel’s door. He had done so deliberately after he heard the unfortunate conversation in the bathhouse. He hadn’t wanted to believe that half the camp would come after the alpha as soon as it was clear he was unmated, but he’d been wrong. It had just been Samandriel, Meg, and Becky that first night. Yesterday, though, another four had turned up at his door, plus several visits from Meg and Becky each. He’d thought Samandriel had backed off, until he found the omega bringing Cas his lunch this afternoon when the alpha didn’t turn up to eat. (He’d spoiled Dean’s thunder doing that too… though that didn’t matter. Dean kept telling himself that.) He’d taken some comfort in knowing that yesterday Cas hadn’t let any of them in his house. Today had been the same, he’d kept them on the porch and politely talked to them and hadn’t seem to encourage them. That said, the alpha didn’t discourage them either.

Now, Dean stood next to his window and scowled as he spied a scantily clad Meg knocking on Cas’s door. It got worse when the alpha opened the door. Dean couldn’t see Cas’s face and he tried not to gloat that Cas didn’t let her in. Then Meg reached out and began to stroke Cas’s arm.

“What are you doing, Dean?”

Dean jumped in surprise at the sudden voice behind him and whirled to see Eileen standing behind him with a grin on her face. “Nothing.” He said.

“You’ve got a snarl on your face.” She said, her voice tilting up at the end. “I bet you’re growling. Are you growling Dean?” Her smile widened and her dark eyes sparkled with mischief.

Dean could lie. Eileen couldn’t hear him and would never know. But she knew. No matter what he said, she knew that he’d growled the moment Meg had laid her hands on Cas. Dean didn’t say anything at all, he simply gave her a baleful look.

She patted Dean on the back. “Why don’t you go stake your claim?”

Dean shook his head. “He’s not mine.”

“You saw him first.” She snickered as she said it, but her expression was sincere.

“Eileen….” Dean began with a whine that she couldn’t hear.

“What’s wrong?” Sam burst into the room carrying a battered Monopoly board. The alpha looked between the two of them.

“Don’t you think this would be fun with more?” Eileen said as she grabbed the board from Sam’s hands.

“Yeah, actually, it would be.” Sam agreed easily.

Eileen patted his cheek. “Go ask Castiel and Claire to join.”

“Sure!” Sam said and then the moose cheerfully headed out of the house.

Dean shot a grin to Eileen and both of them shot over to the window.

They had front row seats as Sam happily meandered to Cas’s house then stopped when he saw Meg standing with Cas on the porch. He looked as if he was about to beat a hasty retreat when Castiel pushed past Meg and hurried down to grab Sam’s arms. There was something wild and desperate in the alpha’s blue eyes as he practically pulled Sam on the porch with them. Meg huffed and after a moment of talk, flounced off in disgust, clearly offended.

Eileen and Dean exchanged grinning looks as Cas went back into his house with Sam in tow.

“You are the best sister in law in the world.” Dean said, drawing Eileen in for a firm hug.

She reached up to tousle his hair. “Sam and I want you to be happy too.”

When Sam came back with Cas and Claire, it was to find the two omegas sitting at the table with the Monopoly board all ready to go.

***

Later that night, Dean lay awake thinking of what Eileen had said to him. If he wanted Cas to be his, he needed to make a move before someone else in the pack claimed him. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how he was going to do this and wrestled with his thoughts until sleep pulled him under.

The next morning found Dean cranky and tired. He went about his morning duties, grumbling at everyone who crossed his path until Bobby sent him away in disgust. With a free morning ahead of him, Dean went home to grab his laundry so he could get it done while the facility was fairly empty. He was leaving his house when he remembered his promise to Cas. He put the basket down inside his front door then headed over to the doctor’s office.

When he walked into the entry way of the office, he found that Cas was in the office with Garth and Bess.

The alpha was speaking. “Everything is looking great, Bess. It won’t be much longer. A week or two at the most.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Bess said, her cheeks glowing with happiness.

“Thanks, Cas.” Garth gave the alpha a tight hug. A serious expression fell over Garth’s face. “When um.. it’s time… how will we know.”

Cas smiled. “I think Bess will definitely know and if she tells you, come get me, okay? I’d rather be there if you suspect, false labor or not, okay?”

“Okay.” Garth hugged the alpha again, then took his mate’s hand and began to lead the way from the house.  “Morning, Dean.” The beta said as they passed him.

Dean had been standing out of the way and trying not to watch, however, the moment he’d seen Cas’s smile, his heart had done a lazy roll in his chest. He had it bad for the alpha. He couldn’t deny it to himself any longer. “Morning, Garth, Bess.” He tried to pretend that he wasn’t standing in the doctor’s hallway like a lovesick puppy.

Once the two mates had left them alone, Cas turned to Dean. “I… do you need something? Are you feeling alright?”

“What?” Dean blinked, pulling his thoughts together. “Oh, no Cas. I just… I had the morning free and was going to do my laundry. I wanted to see if you wanted to go along. It will be pretty empty now.”

Cas considered for a moment and then gave a nod. “I can leave a note for anyone who needs me.” He turned back to his desk.

Dean grabbed his wrist and stopped him. “Maybe not? You seem to have had a lot of visitors this week.”

Cas nodded. “You are right. Let’s go.”

Ten minutes later found Dean and Cas walking into the laundry facility with their baskets of clothes. It was blissfully empty. Dean spent some time explaining to Cas what all the equipment was for and how to wash the clothes before they settled in side by side to work. For a time, they worked in silence. Dean noticed that the alpha at his side was relaxed around him. He thought about that and decided that Cas didn’t look so at ease around the other omegas in the camp. He was worried that if he made a move it would destroy this peace between them. Of course, if someone claimed Cas, then he wouldn’t get these moments at all. Taking a deep breath, he broke the silence. “Hey, Cas…”

“Yes Dean?”

When Dean turned his head, he found the alpha’s blue gaze already on him and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Dean had to force himself to look away. “I…” He licked his lips, feeling nerves boil up inside of him. “About the other omegas…”

Cas sighed and turned back to the laundry. “It’s inconvenient, I know. I don’t understand them.” The alpha shook his head and scowled at the pair of pants he was scrubbing.

“I should have warned you, there are a lot of unmated omegas around here. This happened with Sam and Benny too until they both mated.” Dean put aside the worn pair of blue jeans he was working on and stopped Cas from working a hole in a pair of Claire’s pants. “Does it bother you?”

“A little.” Cas’s eyes met Dean’s and held them. “They don’t know me and they haven’t really tried to learn about me. They just want… “ He shook his head and looked down. “It doesn’t feel right to me. I was mated once for the wrong reasons.”

“With Claire’s mom?” Dean found himself asking.

“Yes.” Castiel went back to his laundry. “My mom introduced me to Amelia and made it clear that if I didn’t mate her, she would be displeased. I was young and simply didn’t argue.” He shrugged and glanced at Dean. “She was a pleasant woman and a good omega, but…”

“She wasn’t what you would have chosen.” Dean finished.

“Yes, that’s true.” The alpha glanced at Dean sideways, then went on. “I would have preferred a male omega.”

“Yeah?” Dean’s heart buoyed in his chest.

“Yeah.” Cas grinned at him, his cheeks burning.

“So.. if an omega like me were to approach you…”

“I would be interested.” Cas’s eyes had snapped up and he was staring rather intensely at Dean.

Dean grinned. “How interested?” He inched closer.

“Very interested.” The alpha shifted as well, turning towards Dean and dropping all pretense of washing his clothes.

Dean lurched into Cas, their chests collided as he claimed Cas’s lips. The kiss began filthy the moment they touched and Dean was soon straddling Cas’s hips. All told, Dean knew that the laundry facility was not the best place to consummate a new mateship, however, the moment Cas was pliant under his hands, Dean lost any semblance of rationality. Clothing flew and within moments Dean was enthusiastically riding Cas’s knot until they were locked together tightly. Two hours later, both stumbled out of the building with rumpled clothes and mating bites so new they were still bleeding.

***

The pack reacted with a variety of surprise (and in some cases, bitter disappointment) when Dean and Cas turned up to the meal hall at lunchtime mated to each other. Garth, of course, was enthusiastic and cheerfully gave them both hugs. Jody gave them a knowing smirk and Donna offered to let Claire stay over with Alex for a few days so Dean and Cas could have some time to themselves. Bobby had patted Dean on the back and had shaken Castiel’s hand as he welcomed the alpha to the pack formally. Sam, of course, had to get in his moose sized hugs for both of them too. All told, there were so many congratulations that they barely got to eat.

 As the crowd dwindled down, Claire pulled up a chair and plopped down between the two of them. “So, Dean.”

Dean gave Claire a suspicious glance. “Yeah?”

“Can I call you Dad too?”

As Castiel watched his new mate stutter and try to find words with tears in his eye, he realized that integrating with this new pack hadn’t been as hard as he initially thought it would be. All he’d needed was to find the right mate and he’d done an excellent job on that front.  Of course, that could be the mating talking.

t?


End file.
